Improvement in the manufacture of cast-steel direct from the ores



TH-O'MAS- TBA- WORD. I improvement in the Manufacture of Ca st SteelDirect from the" Or.

Patented'lune 13, 1871.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

THOMAS TRAFFOBD, or DUBLIN, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF,

JOHN s. BROWN, AND SAMUEL A. WORTH.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE 0E CAST-STEEL DIRECT FROM THE ORES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 115,992, dated June 13,1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THoMAs TRAFFORD, of Dublin, in the county of Harfordand State of Maryland, have invented a new and Improved Process for theManufacture of Cast-Steel Direct from the Ore; and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawing of a furnace which Ihave thus far used to carry out my process.

Figure l is a vertical section of the furnace, and Fig. 2 is a frontelevation of the same.

This invention consists in a new and improved process of manufacturingcast-steel and refined iron direct from the ore.

In the drawing, A is a bed of masonry; A, the fire-box resting on thestone-work, the firebox being composed of a cast-iron backplate,

a, side plates at a, and front plate a, the bottom plate being offire-stone. The dimensions of the fire-box may conveniently be arrangedat a breadth of twenty-three inches and a length of twenty-eight inchesat the bottom, and a height of twenty-five inches, the

sides flaring outward at about the rate of three inches in everytwenty-five. The-slag-holes are shown at b b, and the tapping-holes at bb, The tuyeres o c are inclined downwardfrom outside to inside, as shownin Fig. 1, so that the hot-blast strikes the fire in a slanting direction.

The advantage of this form of blast is that it separates, holds liquid,and decarbonizes th ore much better than any other.

B is the charging or'ifice,'which'is only twelve inches above the tuyerein a furnace of thethat indicates that the ore is being thrown in toofast. In order to remedy this the-supply of ore is diminished, quartz isadded as a flux, and slag drawn off until the tuyeres are clear and showa bright light, which indicates that the process is going on properly.When the supply of ore is insufiicient the flame presents a yellowishappearance, and a powder resembling dust rises with it and may be seenat the top of the chimney. This shows that more ore should be thrown in,and the supply should not cease until the flame changes to the bluishcolor again. The process is carried on in this way until the fire-box isfilled with molten metal or the requiredamount obtained. Thendecarbonization takes place by slacking off the ore, increasing thesupply of quartz in order to keep the slag as light as possible, andblowin g as long as'the tuyere can be kept bright. When thedecarbonization has progressed to the required degree thetuyeres becomeclogged and will not remain bright. Thereupon the furnace is tapped andthe steel drawn off into molds. The tapping holes are then stopped upand the process resumed, as before explained. The result is theconversion of ore directly into cast-steel at one operation and insingle firebox.

By increasing the quantity of fuel and decreasing the quantity of oreand the force of the blast refined iron will be produced.

' Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new,

Patent, iS-f- The process herein described of manufacturing cast-steelor refined iron direct from ore.

To the above specification of my invention I have signed my hand this13th day of December, 1869.

- THOMAS TRAFFORD.

.Witnesses:

GHAs. A. PETTIT, T. P. SIMPSON.

and desire to secure by Letters v

